Question

[1] Thomas Paine, a pivotal figure in the American Revolution, was born in Britain in 1737. [2] When he was in his mid-thirties, he met Benjamin Franklin in London. [3] Franklin helped Paine move to Philadelphia, where he pursued a career in journalism, he became the editor of Pennsylvania Magazine. [4] In 1776, Paine authored a pro-independence pamphlet called Common Sense, which was widely read throughout the colonies.

Which sentence should be revised to improve this paragraph’s sentence fluency?

A. sentence 1
B. sentence 2
C. sentence 3
D. sentence 4

Answer 1

C. Sentence 3
It is a comma splice.

Answer 2

The answer is: C. sentence 3

In the paragraph about Thomas Paine, sentence three must be revised because it contains a comma splice, which is the wrong use of a comma to separate two independent clauses. It can be corrected by adding a conjunction after the comma, by joining the clauses with a semicolon, or by writing separate sentences.

Therefore, the sentence can be revised in three ways:

1. Franklin helped Paine move to Philadelphia, where he pursued a career in journalism, and he became the editor of Pennsylvania Magazine.
2. Franklin helped Paine move to Philadelphia, where he pursued a career in journalism; he became the editor of Pennsylvania Magazine.
3. Franklin helped Paine move to Philadelphia, where he pursued a career in journalism. He became the editor of Pennsylvania Magazine.